


The One That Got Away

by casual_distance



Series: 30 Day Cheesy Tropes Challenge [26]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Office, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 17:02:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4927834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casual_distance/pseuds/casual_distance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evan thought he’d put peace to their broken relationship, but when he runs into Dean Winchester again, he wonders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One That Got Away

The day is already shit when the elevator doors open. Evan has been trying to find the reason a client’s books are off by a ridiculous amount of money and who exactly is responsible for the discrepancy. Also important: is anyone going to jail? Evan hopes it’s not him, but who knows. People get crazy when it comes to money. 

He’s elbow deep inside the last five years’ worth of transactions on this particular account when his assistant lets him know that Mr. Novak wants to see him about said account. Oh, and Evan hasn’t had lunch yet; he was supposed to go two hours ago, but he had been waylaid by one of the other accountants working on the case. He hasn’t even had breakfast, so his stomach is on the verge of making noises, and Evan is quite certain Mr. Novak wouldn’t appreciate _that_ particular commentary on the account, as accurate as it may turn out to be.

When the elevator doors open to reveal Dean Winchester leaning against the back wall, Evan can’t help but to think that he should have expected this. 

Dean looks up and flushes bright red when he realizes who is about to join him in the elevator. Evan nods at him, turns to hit the button for the tenth floor only to see that it’s already lit. Evan frowns but chooses not to say anything.

When they hit the sixth floor, Dean clears his throat and shuffles nervously. “So, uh, how you been, man?” he asks.

Evan looks over at him, and Dean is redder than he had been previously if that was possible. “Um, fine. I’ve been working here about a year now.”

“Oh. That’s good.” Dean sounds… confused, and he’s frowning though not at Evan. Evan raises his eyebrows in question, but Dean’s only response is to clear his throat and smooth out his expression.

The thing about Dean is that Evan doesn’t really know why they broke up. Dean had always seemed to enjoy being together, and they’d _just_ started sleeping together. Evan wasn’t Dean’s first guy, but he was Dean’s first relationship with a guy. Dean had been straightforward about that. When Evan had asked if that was why they were breaking up, Dean had just grimaced and said no. He hadn’t really ever answered when Evan had asked for a reason.

So when Dean says, “It’s been a long time,” almost conversationally, like he might have expected to see Evan again, Evan can’t help the incredulous look he shoots Dean.

Dean, to his credit, winces. “Sorry,” he mutters, ducking his head.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Evan asks. It comes out accusatory even though Evan really doesn’t mean it that way.

Dean sort of shrugs, an up-and-down movement of his shoulders that he turns into tucking his hands into his jacket pockets. “I’m, uh, meeting someone for a late lunch.” 

He doesn’t specify if it’s personal or business. Evan considers asking, then changes his mind. He turns to watch the floor indicator blink from 8 to 9 to 10. He lets Dean exit the elevator first, primarily so he can see who Dean’s meeting. 

Evan steps out of the elevator just in time to hear Mr. Novak’s deep voice rumble, “Hello, Dean,” and then Mr. Novak is coming up to Dean, catching his hand in a loose hold, and pressing a kiss to Dean’s cheek.

Evan’s eyebrows go up before he can stop them as Dean ducks his head shyly and smiles at Mr. Novak from under his eyelashes. Mr. Novak smiles back at Dean, a small but sincere thing, a type of smile Evan has never seen from the man. He squeezes Dean’s hand and then lets go, gesturing to Evan.

“I’m afraid we’ve had some issues with a client’s account. I need to discuss the best course of action with Mr. Jones, so I will be a while. Are you okay to wait, Dean?”

“‘Course, Cas. Don’t worry about me.” Dean smiles at “Cas” again and then heads toward the executive break room, while Mr. Novak gestures for Evan to follow him. 

“We can speak in my office, Evan. Did you bring the most recent files?”

“Yes, Mr. Novak.” He hands them over before he sits in one of the client chairs across the desk from Mr. Novak. Evan stares at him for a moment, watching as he opens the file and starts sorting through the papers inside. Without meaning to, Evan finds himself asking, “So, uh, Dean- is he your-”

Mr. Novak glances up at him, the expression on his face tightening a bit. “Dean’s my husband.”

“Huh.” Evan considers that for a bit, then asks, “How long have you been married?”

Mr. Novak squints at him now, studying him for a moment before answering, “Almost two years.”

Evan nods. Mr. Novak watches him for a moment longer before he focuses his attention on the file again. Evan absently watches him flip through the papers. He and Dean had dated for six months, and they’d only slept together a handful of times. Dean had never even spent the night, and, Evan realizes now, he had never gone over to Dean’s. That left a year between the time he and Dean broke up and Dean got married. Evan frowns. Dean had said their breaking up had nothing to do with Evan, but clearly-

“Mr. Jones.” 

Evan snaps back to attention at the sharp tone of Mr. Novak’s voice. He finds Mr. Novak frowning at him from across his desk, his face annoyed. 

“If you have a problem with my sexuality-” he starts, but Evan shakes his head before he can complete his thought.

“No! Not at all. I’m gay myself. I just-” Evan cuts himself off. He doesn’t want to say the words _Dean is my ex-boyfriend_ , not to Dean’s husband, but Mr. Novak raises one eyebrow. The frown has eased, but the severeness of his expression hasn’t let up. Evan clears his throat. “No,” he says, “it’s just, um, Dean and I dated.”

Mr. Novak’s expression clears then, and after a moment, he says, “Ah. Dean had told me he dated an Evan. I didn’t know it was you.” It’s matter of fact, no curiosity or apology. 

Evan nods, because he’s not sure how else to respond.

Mr. Novak tips his head in return and then picks up a document and spins it toward Evan, asking a question about it. Evan answers, and their work continues, but Evan is only halfway paying attention, because-

“How long did you date?” he asks instead of answering Mr. Novak’s question. Mr. Novak pauses in his movements and sets the documents in his hands down on his desk.

“Six months.”

Evan nods. “Okay,” he says like he’s accepting of that answer except he’s not. Dean dated Evan for six months and then nothing. Dean dated Castiel Novak for six months and then married him.

Mr. Novak does not seem surprised when Evan says, “It’s just- we had only been broken up for six months.”

Mr. Novak sighs. “Evan, I cannot speak for Dean about your relationship. He only told me that it happened.” He hesitates then says, “Dean and I have known each other for many years.”

And, wow, that doesn’t help, because the chances of Dean already being in love with Mr. Novak while they were dating-

Something must show on his face, because Mr. Novak grimaces. “I apologize, Evan. Dean and I were not speaking when you dated.” He stands. “Excuse me.”

Mr. Novak leaves the office before Evan can say anything and he turns in his chair to watch through the glass walls of Mr. Novak’s office as he goes to speak to Dean, who is now seated in the waiting area outside Mr. Novak’s office, feet kicked up on the small coffee table. Dean stands, and Mr. Novak rests a hand on Dean’s arm as he speaks to him. Evan can’t see Mr. Novak’s face, but he can see Dean’s and it’s easy enough to read.

Evan turns around to face Mr. Novak’s desk, and Dean comes into the office and settles into the chair next to him shortly after.

“So, uh, guess I should have said something.”

“When?” Evan asks. “Now or back when we dated?”

Dean sighs. “Both. Either.” He’s quiet for a moment. He takes a deep breath and then lets it out. “Look, Evan, I _did_ like you. I wasn’t with you just ‘cause you were a body- or whatever.”

Evan frowns at that and turns to look at Dean.

“Just. Okay. My dad’s a dick. Like, major league, homophobic dick. _Still_ -refuses-to-meet-Cas levels of dickery.” He raises his eyebrows in question and Evan nods his understanding. “I repressed the shit out of my bisexuality. For years.” Dean scrubs a hand along his thigh. “And, yeah, okay, when we were dating I was in love with Cas. I had been for a while, but I didn’t know it. It’s like some clichéd young adult novel, the bullshit I put Cas through when we were friends. I’d get jealous at the drop of the hat; we’d fight over inane crap. Lord, the fights we had.” Dean pauses for a moment, lost in thought. He shakes his head and continues, “Then one day Cas says he can’t be my friend any more. Says he loves me. We didn’t talk for years.

“The thing of it is, you lose a friend, and it hurts, right? But I lost Cas, and it was like everything stopped. After a couple of months, Sam starts asking questions about it. Doesn’t let up. I start realizing, yeah, okay, Sam’s got a point.” Dean gets lost in his thoughts again, eyes unfocused, before he shakes himself back to the present.

“I started, um, going to bars. Gay bars. Just to see, you know. It didn’t take long before I realized that, yeah, I was definitely into guys, but it was just sex. Then I met you and thought, yeah, I can date this guy. I like this guy. Only, when we started sleeping together-

“Christ. Do you even want to hear this?”

Evan looks up at Dean and realizes it’s an honest question. He considers for a moment and says, “Yes. You left so suddenly when I thought things were going well. It took me a long time to come to terms with-” Evan cuts himself off and waves a hand in dismissal. “Well, anyway, continue.”

Dean looks guilty, like he understands what Evan didn’t say. “Right. Christ.” He blows out a heavy breath. “Anyway, it just always felt like something was missing. Not that it wasn’t good, but, like… like I was waiting for something. Then I moved, remember? I was going through boxes of old papers and shit, and there was a picture of Cas and I, and I realized that- I dunno exactly. It just, something clicked seeing that picture, and all the fights we had, all the times that I was jealous, they just made sense. I probably should have told you then, but Cas and I weren’t even talking. I hadn’t talked to him in almost, uh, four- five- years, and I just thought, what would be the point in telling you, you know?”

Evan sighs. “I would have appreciated knowing. At least I would have understood what happened.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Evan, man. I am.”

“I know, Dean.” 

They sit in silence for a moment. Evan looks over at Dean, who is staring at the desk. It’s good to know all this. It settles some doubts that Evan hadn’t even realized were still in the back of his mind all these years later. He really is over Dean, however, so he turns to face Dean, drawing his attention, and asks, “How did you start talking again?”

Dean runs a hand over his face. “Sam got into an accident. I still had Cas’s number, and I called. He picked up and flew out here- he’d moved to Michigan for a job- and we started talking again. Um-” Dean pauses to think- “I guess that was about three months after we broke up. We talked as friends for another couple of months, then started dating, and, well-” Dean waves his left hand to indicate his ring. 

Evan smiles at him and shakes his head. “That’s quite the story.”

Dean looks at him for a moment before tentatively returning his smile. “So, you’re not mad?”

“I wasn’t mad before. I just didn’t really understand, I guess.”

“Well, I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Evan shrugs. “It would have been nice to know then, but I have moved past it. Thank you, though.”

Dean dips his head in acknowledgement, and they sit in silence again for a moment before Dean stands. “Look, I’ll let you get back to work. It was good seein’ you again.”

Evan smiles up at Dean. “You too, Dean.”

Dean nods goodbye and then leaves the office. Evan doesn’t watch the exchange that he’s sure is going on between Dean and Mr. Novak, but when Mr. Novak returns, Evan smiles at him. “I’m sorry about that, sir.”

Mr. Novak returns the smile. “Not at all, Evan. I apologize if we made you uncomfortable.”

Evan shakes his head. “No, it- it was- well, it was fine. Shall we continue?” 

Mr. Novak studies him for a moment before he turns his attention back to the mess of papers spread across his desk. They work their way through the rest of the documentation and come up with a plan of attack.

Afterwards, as Evan steps into the elevator, before the doors close, he sees Dean and Mr. Novak smile at each other, warm and full of affection, and so very clearly in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Four more stories to post and then my Tropes Challenge is done! :0
> 
> Now that I'm back from vacation, I should probably tackle this backlog of comments. *cough*


End file.
